WASHINGTON — Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will discuss his country's future Wednesday on Capitol Hill with Sen. Bob Casey and Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Casey, a Democrat and chairman of the Senate's Foreign Relations subcommittee that covers Afghanistan, said Tuesday he intends to ask Karzai about government corruption, fair elections and the security of women.
McConnell, Casey and perhaps one or two other lawmakers are scheduled to have their closed-door discussion with Karzai at the Capitol building.
"I want to make sure he understands not just how important I and others believe these issues are, but to impress upon him the expectation that our taxpayers have that after more than 2,000 Americans killed that we have to see results," Casey said in a phone interview. "He and his government have to be accountable to the American people. I know that he understands that, but I hope he comes away understanding the urgency of these issues for us."
Karzai arrived in Washington on Tuesday for a three-day visit, which will include a meeting Friday with President Barack Obama to discuss plans to withdraw most of the more than 60,000 American troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Casey is critical of how Karzai has prepared the still-fragile country for the transition from U.S. military security.
"I have a lot of doubts and frankly a lot of frustrations, but the fact of the matter is he's going to be there so we have to think of ways to keep him focused on priorities," Casey said. "I want to make sure that as we draw down that we do it in such a way that we don't have major slippage or reversals of the gains that have been made … To be candid, a lot of progress was made in the training, but a lot of that has begun to recede a bit. The recent reports have not been very encouraging. We have to continue to find out why that is."
Casey said he will press Karzai about government corruption stemming from nepotism and financial mismanagement. He will also talk to Karzai about the next presidential elections slated for April 2014. The 2009 election, which Karzai won, was fraught with intimidation, violence and other electoral frauds, monitor groups have reported.
Afghanistan's stability is dependent on good government practices and the political strength of the president who will come after Karzai, Casey said.
The criticism is not one-sided. Karzai has blamed corruption and violence in Afghanistan on U.S. military and NATO forces, creating tension between Kabul and Washington.
Perhaps most vital for Casey during his time with Karzai will be the issue of keeping Afghan women safe. Casey authored a bill to require the Defense and State Departments to report on efforts to keep women and girls safe during the transition. It became law as part of a larger defense bill.
Casey said he was moved by a visit to Afghanistan in 2011, where he met politically active women willing to risk their lives to fight for women's rights and opportunities. In a Senate floor speech in May, Casey said "empowered women have an immensely positive impact on their communities, investing resources in education, health care, and other basic needs. They also dissuade young men from turning to militancy."
Casey plans to ask Karzai for assurance that women's rights and security will continue to be a priority.
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